NEWSLETTER

OUR MISSION:
Protect and preserve the natural and cultural heritage of Charco del Ingenio, as well as maintain a botanical garden dedicated to the conservation and study of regional flora and ecosystems, mainly oriented towards environmental education.

INDEX

Vol.XVII, No.03

POLO ESTRADA, WALKER OF CERRO GRANDE
THE NEW RECEPTION OF EL CHARCO OPENS ITS DOORS…
SPRING EQUINOX 2022
EL CHARCO DEL INGENIO ASSUMES THE PRESIDENCY OF THE MEXICAN ASSOCIATION OF BOTANICAL GARDENS
EL CHARCO’S NEW VISITORS GUIDE
NEW SPECIES OF ORCHID IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN
We do not intend to change the world. What we want is to flourish
NATURAL HISTORY TOURS IN ENGLISH ARE BACK
Soul gifts, musical gifts: Thank you, Michael Hoppé
NEW SET OF 12 POSTCARDS: BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS OF EL CHARCO

life is short and fleeting
It's a blink of an eye
It is a flower among thistles
A breath and nothing more
— Leopoldo Estrada

POLO ESTRADA, WALKER OF CERRO GRANDE

With unspeakable sorrow we feel the death, which happened on February 10, of our beloved Leopoldo Estrada Buenrostro, one of the founders and makers of the Botanical Garden, member of the Board of Directors of our association and a fighter always dedicated to the defense of the biocultural heritage of Mexico. , from San Miguel de Allende and the Valle del Maíz, his small homeland. In love with the oak forests of our mountains, he walked them, cared for them and loved them for years, seeking their preservation as natural areas to celebrate life. A doctor by profession, he attended rural communities from a very young age and was closely acquainted with the reality of the Mexican countryside. His passion for popular culture led him to be a great image maker, from whose hands emerged masks and mojigangas that gave life, movement and dance to the huapangos and popular dances, in San Miguel, in the Real de Xichú and beyond. But above all, Polo was a great companion and friend, a loving father and husband, a kind man who always radiated affection, humor and confidence to those around him and we were lucky enough to be his close friends.

THE NEW RECEPTION OF EL CHARCO OPENS ITS DOORS…

With great satisfaction we inform all the visitors, members and friends of the Botanical Garden that, finally, after a long and eventful construction stage, the new Charco del Ingenio reception unit was inaugurated last February. This includes a new Interpretive Room, which offers, in an entertaining and substantial way, relevant content on the Charco del Ingenio ecological reserve, on the conservation project and on the hydrographic basin where the Botanical Garden is located. The new interpretive module, open to all audiences, is part of the educational mission of our organization, aimed at building a culture of love and care for the natural world, with special attention to the youngest population in our society.

The opening ceremony was sealed with a simple ceremony by the mayordomías of Ojo de Agua and Valle del Maíz, indigenous communities of San Miguel de Allende that preserve ancient traditions and have supported the biocultural heritage that El Charco represents for more than 30 years. of the Ingenuity.

The new reception of El Charco has been possible thanks to the confluence of many wills: architects, engineers, museographers, editors, designers, gardeners, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc., gathered in various work teams, as well as the contributions of numerous contributors that made this relevant project a reality. To all of them, infinite thanks (and an apology in advance for any possible omission).CREDITS:

ARCHITECTONIC PROGRAM
Peter Alvarado · Marco Barrera Bassols · Jose Maria Bilbao · El Charco del Ingenio

ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT
Peter Alvarado · Studio 15B

ENGINEERING AND WORKS
Hyacinth Estrada · EMAG Engineering

MUSEOGRAPHY
Marco Barrera Bassols · MUSEUM

GARDENING
El Charco del Ingenio · louis franke ·
Maguey Nursery

SCULPTURAL FOUNTAIN
Eduardo Olbes

STORE (FURNITURE)
Francisco Motta

DONORS:

Montemiro · Gillian & Peter Neumeier Foundation · Community Foundation for Monterey · San Miguel Community Foundation · Hernan Drobny

Kahren & Michael Arbitman · Mark Deutschmann · Regine & Francois Sicart · susan edelstein · Unitarian Universalist Fellowship · Vanguard Charitable · Maria & Goerdt Abel · Ronald Thomas

William Peters · Terry & Jack Reinhart · Francisco Rios Jimenez · Richard Gullan · Linda Whyman · Barbara Erickson · Honey Sharp · Fisher-Weisman · Andy Blair · William Lee Ginager · Carolyn Stutts · C Jobe · Guilt King · Christopher Hixson · Monica Gerez · carol jackson · Margot Dufrene Ketz · Eduardo Adame · QR Minerals

Kenneth L. Hillenburg · Leon Horowitz · Stephen Livingstone · Michael Pope · Marilyn Link · Christine McReynolds · Jimena Gimenez Cacho · Ray Miles · John Chapman · William Lipsey · Steven Goldstein · Joshua Ehrlich · Rod & Glenna Copeland · Alfredo Alcantara · Phyllis Pitluga · Ed Laun · Richard Mason · Joy Levine · Victor Hackl · Matthew Carroll · Daniel Neuspiel · David Zi Enterprises · Richard Plewa · Luke Rich · Dale Braiman · Robert Merchasin · Gregory Diamond · klaus schmidt · Weston Young · Deborah Chlebana · George Yatskyevich · Alberto Gonzalez Varela · Emiliano Sanchez · Kathleen Shepherd · naomi zurcher

SPRING EQUINOX 2022

OPERA IN EL CHARCO
Portable Opera Company
Sunday, March 20, 5:30 p.m.
Access from 4:30 a.m.
Charco del Ingenio Canyon Natural Forum

APOIDEA, BRIEF HEXAGONAL OPERA

For many years the spring equinox has meant for El Charco the welcome to the new rhythm that nature sets. We celebrate 31 years of resistance protecting this beautiful natural monument and we want to celebrate the great festival of the Earth in a special way in the natural forum of the Charco del Ingenio canyon. We invite you to share in this celebration, financially supporting the Botanical Garden by purchasing a ticket, to enjoy a show of high artistic quality.

"Apoidea, brief hexagonal opera" is a contemporary Mexican work based on the characters of the natural world. Originally dedicated to children, the opera is of general interest due to the theme it deals with and the theatricality of its characters, so that adults will enjoy it as children.

Portable Opera is the company, from Mexico City, invited to take the natural forum of the canyon. It is made up of professional actors and musicians, who will envelop us with their songs and stage acts harmonized with an extraordinary musical accompaniment.

Sunday, March 20, 5:30 p.m.
Access from 4:30 a.m.
-General: 500 pesos
-Members: 400 pesos
-Children (under 1.30m): 100 pesos
Point of sale: Reception of the Botanical Garden (from March 1)
IMPORTANT: We recommend purchasing your tickets in advance. THERE WILL BE NO TICKET SALE ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT.
*We remind the public that it is not allowed to enter with food and drinks, as well as smoking on the site.

EL CHARCO DEL INGENIO ASSUMES THE PRESIDENCY OF THE MEXICAN ASSOCIATION OF BOTANICAL GARDENS

On February 24, during the annual assembly of the association that brings together and articulates the work of the botanical gardens of Mexico, El Charco del Ingenio was elected to occupy the Presidency of this important organization. In this way, we received from the Clavijero Ethnobotanical Garden, dependent on the Institute of Ecology that operates in Jalapa, Veracruz, the responsibility of leading the association for a period of three years.

Likewise, during the aforementioned assembly, the new Board of Directors of the Mexican Association of Botanical Gardens was voted unanimously, being organized as follows:
– President: M. in C. Mario A. Hernández, El Charco del Ingenio
– Administrative Secretary: M. en C. José Viccon, El Charco del Ingenio
– Administrative Secretary: Lic. Marisa Ávalos, El Charco del Ingenio
– Educational Secretary: M. en C. Carmen Cecilia Hernández, Botanical Garden of the Institute of Biology of the UNAM, CDMX
– Scientific Secretary: M. in C. Erika Margarita Pagaza, Botanical Garden of Culiacán, Sinaloa
– Treasurer: CP Verónica Sagelín Hernández, El Charco del Ingenio
– North Vocalía: Biol. Jesús Escalante, Botanical Garden of Los
Mochis, Sinaloa
– Center Vocalía: Biol. Mónica Rivas Avendaño, Haravéri Botanical Garden, Jalisco
– South Vocalía: M. in C. Hermes Lacustre, Cassiano Conzatti Botanical Garden, Oaxaca

The new appointments integrate a diverse and qualified team for the tasks of the Association and its representation in Mexico and abroad. And it also places the state of Guanajuato as a biodiverse territory, recognizing the trajectory of the Charco Ethnobotanical Garden during its 30 years of existence.

EL CHARCO’S NEW VISITORS GUIDE

The new design of this guide –in Spanish and English– allows the visitor to explore and discover the wide space of the Botanical Garden and access magnificent views of the Charco natural monument. The guide contains a suggested route and shows a network of trails, accessible and guarded, as well as offering information on the various points of interest in the reserve: plant exhibitions, viewpoints, bird sanctuaries, historical ruins...

NEW SPECIES OF ORCHID IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN

The Walter L. Meagher Herbarium (WLM) houses a collection of 1,640 specimens, mainly from the state of Guanajuato. Being the only herbarium in the entity, its importance in the registration and study of the flora is of great relevance for scientific research. This collection has been integrated over 7 years, devoting efforts to collection, herborization, identification and systematization of botanical specimens. As part of the Herbarium activities, Dr. Gerardo Salazar, orchid specialist and head of the National Herbarium of Mexico (MEXU), was invited in 2021. During his stay, he was able to identify and confirm species of the Orchidaceae (Orchids) family, as well as record a new species for El Charco del Ingenio: Sarcoglottis schaffneri, increasing the list of native orchids in the Garden.

On the other hand, during the month of June 2021, the biologist Nelly Sandoval, a researcher of the Dalea genus (fattened goats and goatee) by the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Autonomous University of Querétaro, identified, confirmed and discarded those plants that they do not belong to this genus of legumes. These detailed reviews with specialists in certain botanical groups allow the Herbarium to update the scientific names of the plants in the herborized collection.

“We do not intend to change the world. What we want is to flourish” – Clarice Lispector

In this prelude to spring, observe the inflorescence of Pseudobombax ellipticum, inside the Conservatory of Mexican Plants of El Charco del Ingenio Ethnobotanical Garden.

NATURAL HISTORY TOURS IN ENGLISH ARE BACK

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10am

Ticket: 150 pesos per person / 100 pesos members

Don't forget your mouth cover!

Soul gifts, musical gifts: Thank you, Michael Hoppé

It is very moving to see the ways in which people and sectors of our community support El Charco del Ingenio, a territory that has given peace, joy and nature to its users and visitors during the months of the pandemic.

Michael Hoppé is a recognized composer and musical producer, born in the United Kingdom and inhabitant of San Miguel since the 80s. He is an active member of the Botanical Garden, who recently has offered a lovely gift to El Charco, inspired by the daily walks he realizes on the trails of the reservation, in the company of his wife Monica. The work, Under Mexican Stars is a musical piece that takes you back to the most beautiful landscapes of Mexico or a night walk through the cobblestone streets of San Miguel. Beneath Mexican Stars (Under the Mexican stars), is a musical piece that can take us back to the most beautiful landscapes of Mexico or to a night walk through the cobbled streets of San Miguel. Beneath Mexican Stars (Under the Mexican stars), is a musical piece that can take us back to the most beautiful landscapes of Mexico or to a night walk through the cobbled streets of San Miguel.

Listen here:

ART AND SCIENCE IN THE BOTANICAL GARDEN
NEW SET OF 12 POSTCARDS: BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS OF EL CHARCO

Graphic work of four creative women from San Miguel de Allende:

Marijose Marín, Marisol Guerrero, Paquina Langenscheidt and Rocío Ríos

Available in our gift shop: 300 pesos